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On Wednesday, outfielder Eloy Jimenez celebrated his 28th birthday. He was joined in celebrating the occasion by a group of close friends, including fellow big leaguer Bryan De La Cruz.
Jimenez and De La Cruz come from very similar backgrounds in the Dominican Republic. Jimenez grew up in Santo Domingo, which is about a 15-minute drive from De La Cruz's home town of Santo Domingo Este.
On Wednesday, Bryan De La Cruz took to Instagram to post a video to his story as he and a group of friends surprised birthday boy Eloy Jimenez with a surprise cake on his big day.
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"Happy Birthday to my @the_bigbaby74," Bryan De La Cruz captioned the video in Spanish, tagging Eloy Jimenez.
In the 2024 season, Eloy Jimenez and Bryan De La Cruz struggled for consistency. Jimenez finished the season batting .238, recording six home runs and 23 RBIs in 77 total hits, while De La Cruz, the 27-year-old batted .233, hitting 21 home runs and 68 RBIs in 136 hits.
Eloy Jimenez looks forward to upcoming year on 28th birthday
Despite struggling in his stint with the Baltimore Orioles in 2024, Jimenez is already looking forward to 2025, as the free agent prepares to fight for a regular spot wherever he may end up at in the upcoming campaign.
On his 28th birthday, Jimenez took to Instagram to post a heartfelt message, thanking the Almighty for the ups and downs in his career and looking forward to the next chapter.
"I want to thank God for so many blessings and for so many ups and downs in my life and my career but more for giving me another year of life 🙏🏽❤️ thank you Lord for that great gift of allowing me to celebrate 28 years today. I know that this year will be full of blessings 🙏🏽," Jimenez posted in Spanish.
His good friend, Bryan De La Cruz, also finds himself in a similar position, having entered free agency following his stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024.
For now, they can focus on enjoying the offseason, but as spring training inches closer in the new year, the pair will have important decisions to make regarding their future.
